Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has said that Mason Mount and Andre Onana have a ‘big advantage’ ahead of the season opener against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Red Devils started their campaign at Old Trafford tonight and ahead of the game, Ten Hag has spoken about Mount and Onana, who are set to make their club debuts.
Mount was signed from Chelsea before the pre-season friendlies. He featured in almost every game.
On the other hand, Andre Onana was signed towards the end of last month, but the Cameroonian goalkeeper managed to appear in three friendlies – two from the starting XI.
In his Q&A session before the Wolves game, Ten Hag said that the duo are in a ‘good place’, having already played with their new teammates during the pre-season campaign.
The Dutch tactician believes it is a ‘big advantage’ for the pair ahead of the curtain-raiser.
He told Manutd.com: “I think they [Mount and Onana] are in a good place.”
“And it’s definitely an advantage when Mason was in from the start, [in the] first session [of pre-season] he was there.
“Andre came in, we were just in the USA, came into the team and then the tour.
“So, you are so intense, you live together and then you know each other very quick. So that’s a big advantage. They are there.”
Mount did not make a single goal contribution in pre-season, but he was impressive with his distribution from the number eight role where he rarely played for his former club Chelsea.
The England international will need time to adapt to his new position, but he has the potential to become a key player for United. He is expected to start ahead of Christian Eriksen tonight.
Meanwhile, Onana has shown that he is a modern goalkeeper with his superb distribution and command in the box. He should be a quality upgrade on David de Gea between the sticks.
He likes to position himself outside the box when his club have possession, but needs to be wary of long-range shots. Lens’ Florian Sotoca recently scored a wondergoal from the halfway line.
